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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

casting on

I cannot even begin to imagine how some knitters crank out so many pairs of socks! I cast on for a basic 4-stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks using Wildfoote and size 0 needles. So tiny! So time-consuming!

Chicago is chilly and snowy, and I am loving it. Winter is my time of year. All over campus people were griping about the weather yesterday. Here are my winter gripes:

- People who complain about the cold and nonetheless don't don proper winter attire. Come on, people, we live in the upper Midwest. Buy some warm mittens, wear a puffy down coat (unless you're a serious vegetarian) even though your thin wool one is more stylish, cram that stocking cap over your hair, and invest in some wool socks. When shopping, keep in mind the following words and phrases: Gore-Tex, down, temperature ratings, and Thinsulate. Pay attention to fill power! Wear silk long underwear or Cuddle Duds if your home is drafty. If it's really drafty, put up that tacky plastic film. It actually works.

- People who don't bother to brush the snow and ice off their cars and drive around without being able to see at all. Menaces, I tell you!

- Chicago's snow plow crew.

- People who don't shovel their sidewalks.

The cats have been cuddling together to stay warm. This is one full basket o' cats.

I know what you mean. Before I moved to Texas, I had always lived in places with cold winters, and I had the same gripes you do. Now I live in a place where people don their winter parkas when it gets below 50 degrees. My big fear is that I may become one of them.

It is the same here in Maryland. People are just the same everywhere. And they never get better. My town has a rule that you have 12 hours after snow has stopped to shovel or they will do it for you but they never seem to enforce it.

Just keep knitting socks. You can knit socks using dk weight and they go faster. Just remember that I always use size 0s for my socks.

Ooh - I like the looks of that sock yarn. I haven't used it before. Do you like it? I think you're about to get hooked on socks... and soon you'll be knitting them up very quickly. It also helps when you have an hour commute (each way) each day as many prolific knitters do.

I love the coziness of your photos - the coffee with the sock yarn, and your kitties in their basket. It makes me long for an Illinois winter, something I never thought I'd say when I actually lived in IL.